The Clifton clarion., 1887-02-16


 ties of the office, with the except
 ion of travelling and visiting the
 schools, which they say would get
 along just as well without visiting,
 and the funds thus saved to the already depleted school fund would enable the schools to keep open a little longer this year than from all accounts, they did last.
 This is very important ques- ton and effects every child in the territory and it IS to be hoped that 1t will be fully discussed before any definite action is taken.
 There is bill before the house to repeal the law authorizing the issuance of $25, ,OOO worth of bonds for the construction and maintain ance of a University of Arizona;" one to allow the Secretary of the Territory S500 per annum in lieu of fees, said fees to go to the terri torial library fund, and one to pay all sheriff's by fees instead of sal aries.
 Of course one cannot predict with any degree of certainty just what will happen to these bills, that they will go through the house Is almost q certainty and 1t is equally certain that they will all be tabled in the council, but whether the pressure brought to bear on those grave and reverend signors, toward the latter end of the session, will be sufficient to force them through, IS at present, even among those who are most familiar with the workings of the ''wheels within wheels of legisla- tive engineering, a matter of COZ lecture.
 The county and probate court bill which abolishes the county courts in Apache, Cochise, Mohave and Pima and substitutes probate courts, occupied quite an import ant part of last weeks proceedings. It was referred to the judiciary committee, composed of three democrats and one republican, Col. Bean. They reported the bill back to the house recommending its passage without amendment, but Col. Bean made a minority re- port offering an ammendment, which appeared just one, viz: that the governor should appoint as judge of the probate courts, the jndges of the county courts where they existed and had already been elected to thelr offices. The bill was read the second time ard the amendment adopted but after the session was over some one sprung the party rattle and said that the house had behaved iu a very fool ish manner to allow one republi- can to get away with them in that shape, so they reconsidered the vote by which tho amendment was adopted and it will now pass in its original form, which allows the governor to appoint, by and with the consent of the council, the of ficers of the probate courts which will be created by the act, and which will take effect on July 1st, 1887. I think it is safe to say that it will pass without much opposi- ton, although it has not yet left the house.
 Capt. Watkins, councilman, who is on the joint judiciary committee, of both houses, who revise the work of the code commission before it appears in the house, made a good amen dment in the criminal 1 procedure part, viz: whereas the [ penalty was Imprisonment in the county jail for one year. the Cap | tain had it changed to six months, for said he you infict almost as much punishment on the county l by the extra taxation as you do on the prisoner when you put him in for year, 50 either make the pen alty six months or put him in the territorial prison. so when the new code goes into effect there will be no imprisonment in the county